Mexico will tender about 50,000 kilometers of fiber optic line

27/02/2019

The president of Mexico stated in a press conference that the network to be tendered is from the Mexican Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) and that the bidding rules will be presented in about fifteen days.

"The company or companies that obtain the concession will have, among other things, to offer free internet on roads, public squares, hospitals, schools and a number of resources for the maintenance of the facilities," said AMLO.

Mexico will tender in March about 50,000 kilometres of fibre optic line in order to provide services such as internet, telephony and pay television throughout the country, announced the Mexican president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

The president of Mexico stated in a press conference that the network to be tendered is from the Mexican Federal Electricity Commission (CFE), and that the bidding rules will be presented in about fifteen days.

He announced that the contest will be international for national and foreign companies to participate.

In the same way, he said that it will double the fibre optic offer considered above, that is, from 25,000 to 50,000 kilometres.

"It is an extraordinary program we have already advanced and I hope that in about 15 days when we have the bases for the tender and we can communicate to the country, this is a great program," he said.

He explained that in return, "the company or companies that obtain the concession will have, among other things, to offer free internet on roads, public squares, hospitals, schools and a number of resources for the maintenance of the facilities."

According to the Mexican president, "only in 25% of the national territory can you talk by mobile phone, in 75% there is no communication."

According to the agenda of the new Government, which began on December 1, in the area of telecommunications is to increase broadband coverage throughout the country to promote connectivity.

To this end, mechanisms that range from the creation of a social telecommunication coverage fund to the granting of new social concessions, through the search for a favourable interconnection for those not connected, as well as the efficient use of the Red Compartida, would be contemplated.

López Obrador believes that the telecommunications reform has not solved the problem of connectivity in Mexico, therefore, he decided to suspend the bidding of the Core Network and start from scratch, with new project bases, which, among other things, contemplate obligations of coverage.